Press Releases
Duckworth, Durbin Applaud Nomination of U.S. Magistrate Judge Hawley to be a Federal District Court Judge in the Central District of Illinois
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL)—Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee—today released the following statement after the White House announced its intent to nominate U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Hawley for the Peoria-based federal district court judicial vacancy in the Central District of Illinois: “We are pleased that President Biden is nominating Judge Jonathan Hawley to fill a judicial vacancy in the Central District of … Continue Reading
July 02, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Tech Hub Awarded Approximately $51 Million in EDA Tech Hub Funding
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Hub is slated to be awarded approximately $51 million by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), selected as one of 12 national recipients for Tech Hub Phase II funding. Duckworth and Durbin have been champions of iFAB and advocated fiercely for its … Continue Reading
July 02, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin, Budzinski Statement on Appointment of Pam Monetti to Serve as Illinois Director for USDA Rural Development
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL)—a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee—and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13)—a member of the House Agriculture Committee—released the following statement regarding Pam Monetti’s appointment as the new Illinois Director for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development: “At our recommendation, the Biden Administration has made an excellent choice in appointing Pam … Continue Reading
July 02, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Applaud NIH's Announcement of UIC as Newest Maternal Health Research Center of Excellence
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the announcement by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that it has awarded two new grants to expand its Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence, including one at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Launched last year as part of NIH’s Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) initiative, the Centers of Excellence develop and … Continue Reading
July 01, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin, Quigley Applaud Illinois, Michigan & Army Corps of Engineers for Signing the Project Partnership Agreement for Brandon Road to Help Protect the Great Lakes
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) applauded Illinois, Michigan, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for signing a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) regarding the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP). The BRIP will construct a new engineered channel at Brandon Road in Joliet, Illinois, that will be used to test and deploy a range of technologies that will prevent invasive carp … Continue Reading
July 01, 2024
Duckworth Reacts to Dangerous Supreme Court Decision Declaring Donald Trump Absolutely Immune from Prosecution for Official Acts
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Supreme Court decided that Donald Trump is, in fact, immune from prosecution for “official acts,” but failed to decide whether him fomenting a violent insurrection at our nation’s Capitol to undermine our democracy and obstruct the peaceful transfer of power on January 6, 2021, constituted an official act: “In America, no one should be above the law, but this Supreme Court’s … Continue Reading
July 01, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin, Schneider Announce Resolution Marking Two Years Since July 4th Shooting in Highland Park
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), announced the introduction of a resolution expressing the condolences of Congress and honoring the memory of the victims of the shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4, 2022. The House version of the resolution was introduced last week and the Senate version will be officially introduced when the … Continue Reading
June 28, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $4.4 Million in Medical Research Grants for Illinois
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $4,452,852 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Illinois institutions. A large portion of the funding will be put towards research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, ranging from cancer research to metabolic research. “Investing in our world-renowned medical research facilities plays a critical part in ensuring … Continue Reading
June 28, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $6.2 Million in Healthcare Related Grants for Illinois
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $6,218,045 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Illinois institutions. The funding will be put towards programs across the state to support efforts to improve health equity. “In order to bring reliable care to all Illinoisans in every corner of the state, we must work on expanding the reach of Illinois’s health care network,” Duckworth said. “I’m … Continue Reading
June 28, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announce $525,000 in Federal HHS Grants for Lawrence County Department of Health
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $525,000 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant funding for the Lawrence County Health Department. The federal funding will be used to support programming that develops and offers treatment for pregnant or post-partum mothers struggling with opioid addiction. “It is absolutely unconscionable that hundreds of expectant and new moms are estimated to have … Continue Reading
June 27, 2024
Duckworth Reacts to Supreme Court Decision on Access to Emergency Abortion Care
[WASHINGTON, D.C] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Supreme Court opted to not weigh in on whether millions of Americans are guaranteed access to emergency abortion care nationwide—even in states that ban abortion—under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), but instead simply reinstated a lower court’s order that prevents Idaho from enforcing its restrictive abortion ban in cases that conflict with EMTALA while the case … Continue Reading
June 26, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Announces $5.2 Million in Grant Funding for Head Start in West Central Illinois
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Parent & Child Together for West Central Illinois in Camp Point, Illinois, will receive $5,220,433 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grant funding to support the organization’s Head Start programming, which offers services for children under the age of five in receiving wrap-around support in early learning and development. “Education is one of … Continue Reading
June 26, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin and Schneider Celebrate $18.7 Million in Federal Funding to Improve Cedar Lake Road Safety and Resiliency
[WASHINGTON, DC] — The U.S. Department of Transportation announced this week that it has awarded Lake County a grant of $18,788,080 to improve the safety, condition and resiliency of Cedar Lake Road and the IL Route 124 intersection. U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), who have worked closely with Lake County to advocate for this federal funding, released the following statements celebrating the … Continue Reading
June 26, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Send Illinois School Counselors Letter Urging Them to Support Students Completing the FAFSA
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to Illinois school counselors to urge them to assist students and their families in filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). After Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act, the U.S. Department of Education rolled out a new FAFSA form in January 2024. However, students, families and counselors have experienced challenges with the new form. Along … Continue Reading
June 26, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin, Budzinski Announce $21 Million for Multimodal Transportation Improvements in Edwardsville
[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) today announced that Edwardsville, Illinois will receive $21,241,730 in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant funding for the Goshen Road and Liberty Trail Multimodal Transportation Improvements. “I’m proud to see this federal funding benefitting Illinoisans by … Continue Reading
June 25, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Urge Governor Pritzker to Sign Project Partnership Agreement for Brandon Road Project Agead of June 30 Deadline
[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a response letter to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker regarding the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, in which they encouraged the Governor to sign a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) and reiterated their support for the project. The Senators’ letter comes ahead of the June 30, 2024, deadline for the State of Illinois to sign a PPA with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or risk losing … Continue Reading
June 24, 2024
Duckworth Condemns Republicans’ Anti-Choice, Anti-Woman Crusade on Second Anniversary of Disastrous Dobbs Decision
[WASHINGTON, D.C] - On the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement condemning Republicans’ relentless anti-choice, anti-woman crusade to rip away access to reproductive freedoms—including abortion, contraception and even IVF treatments that help people grow their families—that millions of Americans have relied on for nearly half a century: “Two years ago, far-right … Continue Reading
June 24, 2024
Duckworth Joins Smith in Introducing Bill to Repeal the Comstock Act
[WASHINGTON, D.C] - Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large) and more than a dozen Senate Democrats to introduce the Stop Comstock Act, bicameral legislation that would repeal an arcane 1873 law, called the Comstock Act, that Republicans and anti-choice extremists want to misuse to ban abortion nationwide. “As GOP legislatures, courts and the extremists at Project 2025 have made all too clear, this … Continue Reading
June 21, 2024
Key Duckworth Provisions in New National Defense Bill to Support Illinois Servicemembers and Jobs
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), secured several important provisions to support and benefit Illinois in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that the committee passed late last week and is now expected to be considered by the full U.S. Senate. Some of Duckworth’s Illinois priorities included in the … Continue Reading
June 20, 2024
Duckworth, Durbin Join Hirono, Murray, Whitehouse, Pocan, Scott to Introduce Bill to Double Pell Grant, Make College More Affordable
[WASHINGTON, D.C] - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), as well as U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI-02) and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), to introduce the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2024, bicameral legislation that would nearly double the Pell Grant maximum award, index the maximum award for inflation and make other changes … Continue Reading
